Knife



J. E. KRILOW KNIFE Filed April 3, 1941 Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to knives and more particularly to a knife for cutting slice of cake, fruit and other edibles.

In knives as heretofore constructed, and especially those knives having a wedge-shaped transverse section, it has been found that the cutting stroke in passing downward through an edible product, such as cake, causes the surface particles to be momentarily compressed and then as the blade passes onward these particles expand outwardly and leave a ruptured surface. In many instances the separated slice i perforated due to particles forced out by the successive compression and expansion.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved cutting knife; to provide a knife blade by means of which smooth uniform slices of cake or other edible can be cut from the cake body; to provide a knife blade which is self restoring for material displaced during a cutting operation; to provide a knife blade wherein provision is made for the expansion of material compressed during a cutting stroke, and the restoring of such material into a slice or body to present an unruptured surface; to provide a combined knife and handle so associated and constructed as to resist tendency to twist or turn while cutting; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a knife embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents a section on line 44 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of a knife showing a modification; and Fig. 6 represents a top plan of the knife of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing one form of the present invention consists of a knife blade H) and handle H, the two parts being here shown as integral and molded from a suitable plastic material. The blade I taper from the back l2 to a sharp cutting edge l3, which is preferably of toothed construction throughout its length, while the handle H is substantially uniform in thickness to provide good grasping qualities. Preferably the sides of the handle H are formed respectively with longitudinally disposed grooves 14 and I so located with respect to each other that the thumb of the user can conveniently seat in one groove while the fingers enter the other groove. In this way a safe grasp of the handle can be maintained when cutting and slipping or turning cannot take place.

In using any knife of wedge shaped section it has been found, as the blade makes a cut in an edible, such as cake, that the back portion or thick part of the wedge compacts or compresses the severed faces. Then as the blade continues the out, these compacted areas are relieved of the blade pressure and consequently expand outwardly so that the surface of the cake slice or the cake body has a ruptured and uneven appearance. For overcoming this disadvantage the present invention contemplates means in the form of a plurality of recesses l6 extending longitudinally of the blade H] on each side and opening into the back 12. The recesses l6 are spaced apart so that each pair is separated by the normal thickness of the blade [0, or in other words the blade thickness alternates with the recesses along an area parallel to the back [2. Each recess is deepest where it meets the back and emerges near the longitudinal axis of the blade by an outwardly disposed taper H. The sides of each of the recesses l 6 converge inwardly to meet in a smooth arc l8 and may be slightly beveled to facilitate knife stroke reciprocation. The function of these recesses is to provide clearances along both sides of the blade into which the cake or other material can expand after being compressed by the blade during a cutting stroke. The material which thus expands into these recesses can now be pressed back into the slice or cake body by the recess side 20 on the forward stroke and the recess side 2| on the rearward stroke. Following this restoring of displaced material or particles, the smooth intermediate blade areas 22 iron off the surface and the severed face appears smooth and of uniform texture in marked contrast to the ordinary rough ruptured face.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, the blade I0 is provided with two rows or recesses 23 and 24 in opposite sides respectively of the blade, and in form and shape like those shown and described in Fig. 1. In this form the row of recesses 23 is staggered with respect to the row 24 so that each recess on one side is opposite to an unrecessed area on the other side. Thus while the restoring and smoothing action of the recesses 23 and 24 is retained with full efficiency, the thickness of the blade at each recess is greater and hence more resistant to improper flexing.

While in both forms of the invention the front and rear walls of the recesses serve to push any particles out of the recesses, there is also an added function created by the recesses since these cutting edge, said blade having a plurality of substantially semi-circular recesses therein to receive material pressed out of the product bein cut, said recesses opening through said back and longitudinally spaced to form a plurality of plane surfaces respectively between pairs of said recesses, said surfaces increasing in width from said back whereby material leaving said recesses is smoothed into the face of said product.

2. A knife consisting of a blade formed by a relatively wide back and sides tapering to a sharp cutting edge, said blade having two rows of recesses, one row extending lengthwise on one side of said blade and the other row extending lengthwise on the other side of said blade and being staggered with respect to the first row, each recess having sides diverging towards and intercepting said back to form plane surfaces respectively between pairs of said recesses for smoothing displaced crumbs of material back into the face of the product while being cut.

JAMES E. KRILOW. 

